{"id":79596,"date":"2018-05-15T10:47:21","date_gmt":"2018-05-15T17:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=79596"},"modified":"2026-04-24T16:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T23:46:10","slug":"serial-22","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=79596","title":{"rendered":"Serial 22 \u2022 SITREP V"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s notes:<\/strong> This document appears as Serial 22<\/a> in the FBI RYMUR release and as State Department cable 293800<\/a> in the State Department release.<\/p>\n

[The text for this document was released in 2014 by Wikileaks<\/a>. It is also available through the Internet Archive<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

CONFIDENTIAL
\nPAGE 01
\nSTATE 293800
\nORIGIN ARA-15
\nINFO OCT-01 EUR-12 EA-10 NEA-11 ISO-00 SIG-03 H-01
\nFBIE-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 SSO-00
\nICAE-00 INRE-00 INR-10 PA-01 TRSE-00 SCS-06 CA-01
\nMCT-02 SY-05 SYE-00 USSS-00 AID-05 SS-15 OC-06
\nCCO-00 JUSE-00 SVC-00 \/104 R
\nDRAFTED BY ARA:JLEBOURGEOIS
\nAPPROVED BY ARA:AHEWITT
\nS\/S-O:RCASTRODALE
\n——————096140 201314Z \/50<\/p>\n

O 201142Z NOV 78
\nFM SECSTATE WASHDC
\nTO AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN IMMEDIATE
\nAMEMBASSY PANAMA IMMEDIATE
\nAMEMBASSY CARACAS IMMEDIATE
\nAMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN IMMEDIATE
\nAMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE
\nAMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO IMMEDIATE
\nAMEMBASSY KUWAIT IMMEDIATE
\nAMEMBASSY ABU DHABI IMMEDIATE
\nAMEMBASSY TEHRAN IMMEDIATE
\nAMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE
\nC O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 293800
\nLONDON FOR MICHAEL FINLEY, TOKYO FOR SENATOR HAYAKAWA<\/p>\n

E.O. 11652: GDS
\nTAGS: CASC, OREP (RYAN, LEO), GY
\nSUBJECT: SITUATION REPORT NO. V
\nREFERENCE: STATE 293790 AND PREVIOUS<\/p>\n

CONFIDENTIAL
\nCONFIDENTIAL
\nPAGE 02<\/p>\n

STATE 293800<\/p>\n

1. The Guyanese police and military forces have entered Jonestown and reportedly encountered as many as 400 dead. Further details from Guyanese officials about the dead and information regarding remaining members of the Peoples Temple in Jonestown are not yet available, and darkness and heavy rain have impeded further movement by the government forces, probably until dawn November 20. Press inquiries are relaying rumors that all of the Peoples Temple members are dead. We expect two consular officers and a U.S. communications team to reach Jonestown the morning of November 20. Guidance developed for the press on an if asked basis is: begin quote we have received from our embassy in Georgetown, Guyana, a preliminary report by local officials on the scene that it appears as if as many as 400 members of the Jonestown Peoples Temple community may be dead. End quote.<\/p>\n

2. The Government of Guyana has not given final clearance for the helicopters that form part of the assistance package requested for the government forces. We have received no explanation for the delayed approval. The National Military Command Center is preparing to provide a helicopter squadron (perhaps 12 helicopters) to be used for emergency medical and evacuation services to survivors in Jonestown should it be required.<\/p>\n

3. State has requested NMCC that a military graves registration team and necessary equipment such as body bags be assembled to deal with the massive problem of body identification and disposition. SCS is coordinating these activities with the intention of bringing the bodies of dead Americans back to the US for burial. A second C-141 Medevac plane is scheduled to arrive at Georgetown at 9:00<\/p>\n

CONFIDENTIAL
\nCONFIDENTIAL
\nPAGE 03<\/p>\n

STATE 293800<\/p>\n

A.M. EST. Congressman Ryan’s body and the remains of the other dead may be brought out on this plane.<\/p>\n

4. Shortly after 9:00 p.m. (EST) the C-141 landed at Andrews Air Force Base with five wounded from the shooting at Port Kaituma, having left four seriously wounded victims in Puerto Rico for immediate medical attention. The condition of those arriving at Andrews ranged from heavily sedated to stunned, and none spoke to the press. However San Francisco Chronicle correspondent, Ron Javers, though himself wounded, filed a lengthy and lurid eyewitness account of the events in Guyana as the plane passed through Puerto Rico. Assistant Secretary Barbara Watson and members of the press greeted the flight. The C-130 from panama which carried the embassy augmentation team to Guyana has turned around in Georgetown and is scheduled to arrive in Puerto Rico at 5:56 am local time, with eight of the concerned relatives who had been staying at the Pegasus hotel in Georgetown.<\/p>\n

5. Our embassy in Georgetown has provided an update on the status of those composing Codel Ryan. All are accounted for as follows as of 2:00 a.m. local time November 20:<\/p>\n

Cong Ryan, deceased, remains in Georgetown;
\nJackie Speier, wounded, evacuated on C-141;
\nMark Lane, unhurt, in police custody, Georgetown;
\nCharles Garry, unhurt, in police custody, Georgetown;
\nRichard Dwyer, wounded, at home in Georgetown;
\nDon Harris, deceased, remains in Georgetown;
\nBob Flick, unhurt, departed Guyana in NBC jet;
\nRon Javers, wounded, evacuated in C-141;
\nTim Reiterman, wounded, evacuated in C-141;
\nCharles Krause, unhurt, in Guyana;
\nGregory Robinson, deceased, remains in Georgetown;
\nSteve Sung, wounded, evacuated on C-141;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

CONFIDENTIAL
\nCONFIDENTIAL
\nPAGE 04<\/p>\n

STATE 293800<\/p>\n

Bob Brown, deceased, remains in Georgetown;
\nJames Cobb, unhurt, evacuated on C-130 to Puerto Rico;
\nBeverly Oliver, wounded, evacuated on C-141;
\nAnthony Katsaris, wounded, evacuated on C-141;
\nCarolyn Boyd, wounded, evacuated on C-141.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

6. We have remained in close touch with the FBI and the office of California Governor Jerry Brown out of concern that the tragic events in Guyana might be emulated by Peoples Temple members in California. Thus far no such events have taken place.<\/p>\n

7. The Guyana Working Group is operating continuously and handling inquiries from the press and others including relatives of Peoples Temple members. The following phone numbers can be used for incoming calls: 632-9380 (1) (2) (3) and 632-6615.<\/p>\n

Vance [Cyrus Vance, Secretary of State]<\/p>\n

CONFIDENTIAL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s notes: This document appears as Serial 22 in the FBI RYMUR release and as State Department cable 293800 in the State Department release. [The text for this document was released in 2014 by Wikileaks. It is also available through the Internet Archive.] CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 01 STATE 293800 ORIGIN ARA-15 INFO OCT-01 EUR-12 EA-10 NEA-11 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":69686,"menu_order":26,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-79596","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=79596"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137403,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79596\/revisions\/137403"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/69686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=79596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}